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Big South Fork National River & Recreation AreaWater cascading over Slave Falls
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Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area
Tennessee State Parks
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NPS
Red Bud in bloom adds a brilliant splash of color to spring on the Cumberland Plateau
 

Tennessee State Park’s 54 individual parks offer a full range of recreational opportunities and natural experiences for more than 25 million visitors annually. Stretching from the Appalachian Mountains in the east to the Mississippi River in the west, Tennessee State Parks offer everything from thousands of miles of hiking trails and unique interpretative programs to inns and world-class golf courses, Tennessee State Parks amplify the beauty and diversity of our state’s natural scenery.

Come and enjoy their good nature from the campground to the conference center.

 
Sandstone arch over Pickett Lake
Reba Wagner
Visitors have the option of paddling under this arch.

Pickett State Park and Forest is a combination of scenic, botanical and geological wonders found nowhere else in Tennessee. Picket State Park offers camping, cabins, picnicking, swimming and hiking.

Once owned by the Stearns Coal and Lumber Company, it became one of Tennessee’s earliest state parks in the 1930’s. Its vintage stone structures recall hard times in America; they were built the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) workers after the Great Depression.

For further information visit Pickett State Park of call (931) 879-5821

 
Waterfall in Frozen Head State Park
Tennessee State Parks
Frozen Head State Park contains many beautiful natural features.

Frozen Head State Park is nestled in 12,000 acres in the back of the valley of the Flat Fork watershed. Activities include hiking, biking, camping, backpacking, and picnicking. It has some beautiful wild flower hikes in the spring. The 3 1\2 mile hike up the South Old Mac Mountain Trail leads to the CCC-built firetower. The views from the firetower are spectacular, with the wilderness of the Cumberland Mountains to the north and the Tennessee Valley to the south.

For more information visit Frozen Head State Park or call (423) 346-3318

 
Grist Mill at Sgt. York State Historic Park
Tennessee State Parks
The Grist Mill still stands at the Sgt. York State Historic Park.

Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park, located in Pall Mall, Tennessee, pays tribute to Sgt. Alvin C. York, the backwoods marksman from the mountains of Tennessee who became one of the most decorated soldiers of World War I.

The historic park includes the York family farm and the grist mill he operated for many years on the banks of the Wolf River.

For additional information visit Sgt. Alvin C. York State Historic Park or call (931) 879-6456.

Black bear now live in and around Big South Fork.  

Did You Know?
In the mid-1990's black bear were released in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area to study relocation techniques and to determine whether adequate habitat existed in the area. There are now an estimated 40 - 50 bear living in and around the park.
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Last Updated: May 06, 2008 at 15:05 EST